Final answer:
A student is inquiring about the product formed from the reaction of sodium cyanide with an alkyl halide in the presence of ethanol and water. Sodium cyanide acts as a nucleophile and forms a nitrile product by attacking the alkyl halide. The specific outcome depends on the exact alkyl halide used in the reaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the reaction between sodium cyanide (NaCN), ethanol (C2H5OH), and water (H2O) to form the major organic product. This reaction typically refers to a nucleophilic substitution reaction where cyanide acts as the nucleophile.
Sodium cyanide can react with an alkyl halide in the presence of ethanol and water to form a nitrile product. The reaction involves the cyanide ion (CN-) attacking the alkyl halide, displacing the halide ion, and forming a carbon-nitrile bond. Ethanol is often used as the solvent, and water helps facilitate the reaction. The result is the formation of a nitrile compound, which is a useful intermediate in organic synthesis.
The specific details of the major organic product would depend on the alkyl halide used in the reaction. Without that information, we can only discuss the general mechanism and the type of product formed, which would be a nitrile.